I recommend you read this short article on returning ownership of data to individuals.

I particularly like the final paragraph:

“The rapid and convenient exchange of data can actually take its rightful owners — the consumers — to heights as of yet still unrealized. Being able to combine data from varying providers, agencies and sources empowers consumers to ultimately assert more control over their lives and how they’re lived. Realizing such potential could well be data’s ultimate promise… and the defining moment of the 21st century.”